Roses of May
by Zureidy
Summary: This is what she had struggled so hard for. A chance to be strong. A chance to rise and make a difference. Never again would she have to be protected. Now she would protect all that she held dear. No matter the price.


******_Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto_**.

**A/N: This was my first attempt in fanfiction. This fanfic was inspired by Kate Covington's Roses of May song.**

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**Roses of May**

Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha, looked to the ANBU that had entered her office. She wasted no time in getting to the point.

"I have a mission for you…"

The ANBU's heart clenched at the new assignment she was about to receive. Each and every time she entered the Hokage's office her heart received another blow.

"You are to go this village a little north of Sound. We have reports that they are building a weapon that will become a threat to Konoha. You are to go and investigate this rumor; if true you are to eliminate the entire village in order to prevent anyone else from obtaining this weapon."

At this she gave a brief pause to let the information sink in.

"Any questions?"

_What could I ask,_ she wondered with heavy heart. _I've killed so many already, all for the sake of the village._

"No."

Nodding, Tsunade continued on.

"Good."

"You are to leave immediately after you have finished with your mission. You have an hour to gather any item that you need before you must depart."

The kunoichi turned to leave.

"Cherry, this mission is of utmost importance."

"P-Please don't kill me!"

"I have a c-child." The women bent down to grasp her child to her as the terrifying kunoichi came closer and closer towards her.

"We've done nothing to you, so why are you doing this?"

_I know you've done nothing wrong._

_But…_

_This for the sake of the village._

Desperately the mother tried to reason with the person who was attempting to rid the life of her and her child. But her efforts were in vain as the individual came closer and closer to them. Suddenly the moon appeared from out of the clouds showing the would-be face of their demise.

Eyes widened when the face that she saw was in fact no face but a white mask with the face of a raven. Lifeless eyes stared from the mask looking towards the last people from this area.

The kunai pierced through the kunoichi's clothes as the kunoichi slashed through her opponent's neck with her own kunai. As blood flew from the cut and the enemy fell, the kunoichi quickly turned to deal with the opposing force that dared injure her while her back was turned. She wasted no time in getting rid of said enemy; she was in a hurry to finish her objective. She had news to report.

After her brief encounter with that women and child, she was ambushed by two shinobi that had apparently been in hiding. No matter, they weren't a threat. Smirking at that she continued, after all she mused, she had been assigned this mission for a reason.

As she walked away a village could be seen behind her where buildings lay crumbled. Continuing her trek back home the kunoichi stopped briefly at a river several miles away to clean the blood off her kunai before returning it to her pouch. As she did this motion the moonlight showed blood staining her hands.

_How much longer can I go about doing this?_

Unfazed the kunoichi simply began removing the blood off her hands fully knowing that there would be another time, quite soon probably, when she would once again be covered in this type of liquid.

_Every time it's the same thing, red on my hands and an ache in my heart that won't fade away._

Finished with removing the stains from what she had done, she began her long trek home; the scene from the village would simply be added to countless others. But she knew she would do it again if a threat came upon her village.

_I will do anything I must._

_Anything._

This is what she had struggled so hard for.

A chance to be strong.

A chance to rise and make a difference.

Never again would she have to be protected. Now she would protect all that she held dear.

No matter the price.

After being considered weak for the early part of her shinobi career, she decided to stand up and prove them wrong. So after her team had split each their own way, she had found her own way to become strong. She trained with many different people learning all types of jutsu's. She rounded up many friends to train with and thus increased her abilities. So it came as no surprise that she was able to rise in ranks and become a part of ANBU.

But as time went by she began to change.

Her viridian eyes usually vibrant with emotions were now pale orbs of jade in the night that showed no hint of what she thought. Her nights were continuously plagued with scenes from her actions as a shinobi.

As a tool of the hidden village Konoha.

Nearing the village, she knew the news she was about to give Tsunade would change the village. It was no longer safe.

Although she had done what had been requested, it appeared that Konoha had received the warning a little too late. By the time she had arrived to that village in Sound, the weapon had already been mass produced and shipped to other villages in Sound. Right now all she could do to aid Konoha was report the situation.

She knew once Tsunade was informed that she would be once again sent to gather more information on the enemy's forces. The villagers would remain in the dark as the ninja patrolled the area and reinforced surveillance. Tension would reign in Konoha, at least for those who knew about the threat, until the threat was either eliminated or had managed to wipe out Konoha.

After Cherry informed Tsunade, she was given a day to rest before heading back to Sound as predicted. She, along with others, was to gather intelligence and if they could eliminate it before it reached their village.

As she walked down the streets of a busy Konoha, making her way home, she reflected on everything that she had gone through to make her the way she was now.

_Must have been fate, _she mused.

She had been considered the weakest link of Team 7…

She wanted to be strong.

Her teammates from Team 7 left her; one to gain power for revenge and the other to gain strength to bring the other back to her…

She didn't want to be a burden to her team.

She wanted to be in the front lines with the rest of her team.

Briefly a small smile appeared softly, life returning briefly to her eyes, she knew that if she had a chance to change her past she'd let it remain the same.

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**Be sure to listen to "Roses of May" by katethegreat19 in youtube.**

**Oh and review, whether good or bad comments. **


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